Is This the Beginning of the End For a Game So Many Love?

[Log Haulin]

True?

 

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2022/07/02/the_slow-motion_suicide_of_college_football_840502.amp.html

 

[Santa Rosa Duck]

No, the beginning of the end was the creation of the transfer portal. The second beginning of the end was NIL with no guidelines. This latest Big 10 vs SEC super conference creations is the final nail in the coffin. The traditions are going away. The only way for a university to recruit 4 & 5 star players will be if they are in a super power conference. The old days of finding young men who can be coached up are gone. As soon as you coach them up, they will be gone via NIL. Now if the politicians get involved, then it is all over for Oregon. If Oregon is somehow tied to being in the same conference with Oregon State, the Pac 10 will be on the fringes and whither away. Sorry, my cup is half empty today.

[Wrathis]

Thanks for this article. While I don't 100% agree that "settling it on the field" is a wrong notion, the writer pointing out that the lifeblood of college football was its tradition was 100% spot on in my opinion. We're losing that and I think that's why we're so concerned about what's going on. 

 

In life, progress can be painful and difficult and doesn't always provide the outcome we think it should. Someone previously in a different post had alluded to Chesterton's Fence and I think that's what we're dealing with here.

Not understanding what makes college football great (and in my opinion better than pro football) will lead to it being changed to something other than what we loved. However, I'll always be a Duck and will support them in whatever capacity I find reasonable.

 

Again, thanks for the article.

[noDucknewby]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:08 AM, Wrathis said:

. . . the writer pointing out that the lifeblood of college football was its tradition was 100% spot on in my opinion. We're losing that and I think that's why we're so concerned about what's going on. 

 

 

Couldn't agree more.  There are lots of factors contributing to the demise of college football, going all the way back to the BCS which began the process of diminishing "The Granddaddy of them All".  

 

Blame it on ESPN, blame it on SEC dominance, blame it on corporate/university greed, blame it on whatever you want but the bottom line is the game as we know it is not coming back.

 

Yep life goes on and the law of the jungle is adapt or die, we just need to find our niche and move on.

 

 

[Duck4life]

The NFL has salary caps, trade deadlines, contractual deals with players and team and collateral income deals with the likes of Nike, etc...

 

None of this is regulated in the "new" NCAA.  The NFL and other professional sports didn't put these things in place for fun.  It was necessary to have a healthy and fair playing field.

 

Whether we like it or not, college football has virtually become a professional sport, but none of the safe guards have been put in place for a healthy league.  That needs to be reckoned with if there is to going be any success in this new model.

[Duck4life]

...and adding to my last post, with any lack of central control in college sports, it is left to individual team and conference to wheel and deal with media, who could care less if some teams get left as road kill in the process. 

[Charles Fischer]

Let's not make any further references in this thread to politics please, as it will just start a forest fire.  Thanks to all.

[Drake]

The controlling factor is money. The landscape is changing quickly, and many people are worried, myself included, about where this ends.
 

However, most players will not make their living in the NFL, or NBA, etc. Most need the educational opportunity that sports scholarships(NIL $$$$) provide. That will not change. 

Money decides whether you compete at the highest levels. Not sure that has really changed that much, but the amount of money involved to compete at the highest level is staggering. The money machine will change lives, for both the better, and worse. 
 

The means that “educational” institutions use to pursue that money, whether it is voluntary, or forced upon them, is what Oregon and other PAC 10 members are faced with at the moment.

 

Our biggest issue is the fact that Oregon wants to compete at the highest levels. With that said, fans will have to endure the process whether we like it, or not. 
 

That’s the part that really stinks. 
 

 

 

[1Ducker1]

Its all a bit scary to me but Im going to take a chill pill and pray it all works out. With that Ill say the portal needs some controls put in place.

 

As far as losing tradition well that's pretty sad but its happening in everything these days--welcome to the new world.

 

And with pretty much everything Media and $$$$ controls all. 

[Duckhart]

Even HS on the West Coast are having a tough time with numbers of players signing up.

There is so much to do out here and the options do and will effect game attendance.

The younger generation doesn't seem as die hard when it comes to college football, couple that with ticket prices spiking?

 

[DanLduck]

We live in a time where anything "traditional " is seen as old and needlessly unnecessary. 

 

"Change with the times, or get left behind " is the new mantra. "Each man for himself".

We've lost sight of what made us great, what made us strong.

 

College football is popular because we share a bond, a loyalty to fellow students. We went to that school, or a friend or family member did. It's in our state. We follow a certain school because we share a loyalty that is greater than ourselves. 

 

This chase for $$ under the guise of "settling whose #1 on the field" is the final straw to bring about the demise of college athletics. 

 

The teams that make the super leagues may do ok, but it will be at the expense of non-revenue sports and all other football programs. 

 

I will not have the same loyalty to follow professional college age players in a league that disdains tradition and value for "less successful" teams like Cal or OSU, who have added much to the success and value of the Pac over the years, but not as much recently. 

 

This move by USC, and trying to be copied by us and others, is as selfish and short sighted as anything historical ever. 

We liked college because it wasn't professional, wasn't tainted. Kids played for the brotherhood of team togetherness, not for a bigger NIL deal.

 

Sure, some schools maybe not, but the vast majority of the thousands of kids playing college ball knew they weren't getting to the next stage, and still they played hard.

 

I won't be a part of that type of league. I guess my days of being a fanatical Duck fan are nearing an end.

 

This article was spot on for me.

[Just Ducky]

 The end started fo me long ago when I was forced to not re-new my season tickets because of the extortion fees associated with them. 

 

 Since that time parking, selling beer inside the stadium, not allowing re-entry, times of the games, and price of gas have all been leading to a less than desirable experience.

 

 I think back to when the blazers upped my season tickets after they won the championship, I believe it was over $7 a game. Doesn’t seem like much but in 1978 it was too much to handle.

 

 I guess this is just another nail in the coffin and it is extremely hard to digest.

 

 Maybe all this bull crap isn’t worth my time.

[Haywarduck]

The NCAA basketball tournament announcers this year were constantly talking about where the player on the court had transferred from. This will be true in college football soon in games and bowl games. I suppose it will now include which conference(s) teams came from.

 

The end of generational traditions will be a sad day though! I suppose that is why we never came up with a new name for the Oregon-Oregon State game?

 

In most sports, pro and college, you are cheering for a uniform, more than a group of players, a team. As long as the Ducks continue to innovate and win I am ok, for now. 

 

It also could turn out to be a more compelling product on the field, who knows. All I know is I am a Duck fan for life!

[Nevada Dawg]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:08 PM, DanLduck said:

This chase for $$ under the guise of "settling whose #1 on the field" is the final straw to bring about the demise of college athletics. 

 

 

There is an element of truth to the quest for the all mighty dollar being a  stain on the game.  But... I am a big fan of settling who is number 1 competitively. It is an  imperfect metric but one that beats  the h--l out of poll determined championships and will spark intense interest when playoffs are expanded.

 

I'll just say that the competition-based championships work just  fine in NCAA basketball and baseball and has for decades. These tournaments have only become more popular as they have  become larger.

 

I am a fan  of preserving as many traditions as feasible however.

[AnotherOD]

With NIL, even the 85 player scholarship rule now looks sort of out in the new college football (one decision that actually is often credited with helping competitive balance).

 

Even MLB baseball, with no salary cap, still has the draft, which does allow less competitive teams at least a decent shot at acquiring some assets.

 

Recruiting -- not much like a draft. Imagine at the NBA season if there was a pool of say 20 top players, and Golden State was allowed to get like 4 of the very top guys, the Lakers 4 of the very top guys, 3 to Boston, 3 to Milwaukee, 3 to Dallas, 2 to Miami, and 1 to Chicago.

 

All the rest of the NBA could do was fight among each other to grab a few of the guys rated 20-40? If a team does actually pull the rabbit out of hat on an underrated kid who pops, it gonna be hard to hang onto to him. Leave Oregon State, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Texas Tech and help Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and have a chunk of cash too.

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by AnotherOD

[Kurt Rambis]

I remember when full free agency came to the NFL.  I figured my days as a serious NFL fan were probably numbered.  I was used to seeing guys like Mean Joe Greene and Jack Lambert play their whole careers for my favorite team; now I thought it'll just be a turnstile of random players coming through for a few years and then moving on.

 

And that's largely what it has been; every year my Steelers lose players I liked to free agency, while picking up one-year or two-year rentals.  

 

And yet I'm still a huge Steelers fan.  I pull for the team more than I do for individual players.  I hate losing guys I enjoyed watching, but it is what it is, and sometimes new guys we get make the team more fun.  

 

I'm guessing it'll end up being the same with the Ducks.  It'll be different, but they're still the green-and-yellow (or black, or pink, or grey...).  And although I don't much like the changes we're seeing in college football (You dang kids - get off my lawn!), I'll still enjoy watching them play Clemson for the ACC championship, or whatever the heck we'll be doing in a few years...

[AnotherOD]

I can see the comparison between the NFL and college -- becoming a more of a short-term/rental type situation with many players.

 

The immediate thought is that at least the NFL has rules to protect the competitiveness of the game, even as players are bouncing around.

 

Players move all around. No NFL team is allowed by rule to get all the top players to start, and have essentially unlimited capacity to portal in guys on top of that. In the NFL, I think the salary cap is like $210 million. Imagine if the rules allowed the Dallas Cowboys to have a $500 million salary cap and the Philadelphia Eagles we're limited to a $40 million salary cap. That is after Dallas was allowed to select all the best players they liked before Philadelphia in the first place?

 

Good players leave an NFL team but at least: (1). there were safeguards put in place to make sure that player was available to that team in the first place, (2) the team is generally given advantages to hold onto that player early in their career into the middle of their career (all sorts of league rules like: structured rookie deals,  restricted FA/right of first refusal, franchise tags, Bird rights in the NBA, etc.); and, (3). if a team loses good players, generally they are left with the tools to attract back equal assets (that other teams can't match because eventually they use all their assets).

 

 

[DanLduck]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:35 PM, Nevada Dawg said:

 

There is an element of truth to the quest for the all mighty dollar being a  stain on the game.  But... I am a big fan of settling who is number 1 competitively. It is an  imperfect metric but one that beats  the h--l out of poll determined championships and will spark intense interest when playoffs are expanded.

 

I'll just say that the competition-based championships work just  fine in NCAA basketball and baseball and has for decades. These tournaments have only become more popular as they have  become larger.

 

I am a fan  of preserving as many traditions as feasible however.

There is a massive difference in the physical toll on athletes from bball to football. Because of the importance of size and speed, no "Cinderella" will ever last the pounding of a football tournament. 

 

There is also the chance with only 5 players that one star could be enough to win against better teams.

This can not happen in football. 

You need more than one star.

 

It is this Cinderella belief that gives all 64 teams hope. Thus the excited fan bases.

 

The traditions surrounding football are much more regional and most fans realize that only a few teams really have a chance. 

 

With NIL making for paid teenagers, and the portal making for fluid rosters, and new leagues ending traditional rivalries, I believe you will see a rapid decline in college football fans.

 

Attendance has been declining for years and will continue with fewer reasons to follow closely. 

Expectations will be higher because they are now paid.

After 2 losses, any team would be disqualified from a Natty so why try any longer.

 

No, I see this as one huge mistake. 

I personally am out.

[Haywarduck]

T

On 7/6/2022 at 12:32 PM, AnotherOD said:

I can see the comparison between the NFL and college -- becoming a more of a short-term/rental type situation with many players.

 

The immediate thought is that at least the NFL has rules to protect the competitiveness of the game, even as players are bouncing around.

 

Players move all around. No NFL team is allowed by rule to get all the top players to start, and have essentially unlimited capacity to portal in guys on top of that. In the NFL, I think the salary cap is like $210 million. Imagine if the rules allowed the Dallas Cowboys to have a $500 million salary cap and the Philadelphia Eagles we're limited to a $40 million salary cap. That is after Dallas was allowed to select all the best players they liked before Philadelphia in the first place?

 

Good players leave an NFL team but at least: (1). there were safeguards put in place to make sure that player was available to that team in the first place, (2) the team is generally given advantages to hold onto that player early in their career into the middle of their career (all sorts of league rules like: structured rookie deals,  restricted FA/right of first refusal, franchise tags, Bird rights in the NBA, etc.); and, (3). if a team loses good players, generally they are left with the tools to attract back equal assets (that other teams can't match because eventually they use all their assets).

 

 

I would disagree that the rules are there to protect the competitiveness of the game. The rules are there to make sure no owner does what every owner would do if there were no rules. The owners are extremely competitive and with no rules they would all make a bidding war out of free agency. It would be mayhem, much like college football is now.

 

Many of the owners don't like Roger Goodell, but they respect him and know what he is doing is the best thing for the game.

 

The NFL works because they stick to the salary cap and there are punishments which work. You can lose draft picks, or contracts can be voided.

 

What is funny is hearing T A$M say they aren't paying players to sign. You then see the video of Texas telling recruits the alumni will give them lots of money. The problem is there is not accountability, the NCAA is toothless, all talk. College football is headed toward more of a NBA model if they aren't careful.

 

 

 

The NBA they just have to pay a fine, and guys with too much money, fines don't work. There are a multitude of exceptions to the salary cap and most teams are over the salary cap.

 

This is what college football will begin to look like if they don't take a more proactive approach to limiting the moneys impact on the game. We don't want college football to look like the NBA, end of story.

[AnotherOD]

I think that may be two ways of saying the same thing.

 

Rules in the NFL exist to generate a competitive product or rules in the NFL exist to generate a playing field where no owner is allowed to run the sport by being in a major market and outspending others. Very similar outcome.

 

College football needs to generate rules that don't allow boosters in traditional power schools the ability to run the sport simply by (massively) outspending others.

 

At this stage, NIL would appear hard to "cap" in the same manner in the same way the NFL cannot "cap" how many State Farm commercials Rodgers or Mahomes can do. It is supposed to be actual $ paid outside the sport due to calculations of true celebrity endorsement, rather than mostly pay-for-play. But that is sort of hard to "prove" when it comes to private "NIL" transactions.

 

I can only see one short term solution that likely won't happen. Hard cap rosters at like 65. No secretly compensated walk-ons. The NFL manages to survive a 17 game regular season with a roster limit of 53. That way a program can raise as much private NIL it wants, it can only "buy" so many guys. Some will have to be left over for programs that will still have decent cash deals.

 

If the portal is going to stay, it likely needs to be open so long. Something like 1 transfer for free open for 2 months after the season and 2 months after spring ball. Other transfers are allowed and second transfers allowed (with scholarship), only the one year penalty for playing applies.

Edited July 7, 2022 by AnotherOD